"Dad! What's wrong? You look upset. Is there word about Mom?" Derek said, coming in the office a few minutes later.
"Derek, your mom…" Frank couldn't tell them what they thought. Frank had tried to call the house number but it was busy. He couldn't tell Derek when he wasn't sure what happened.
"Your mom is at the Double D. Hank was on his way to get her to talk to your Dad and the phone disconnected. We haven't been able to get through again," Maria explained.
Derek saw the letter with his name, lying on Frank's desk. "What's this, it's in Mom's hand writing?" Derek took the letter and opened it before Frank could stop him.
"You don't have to read that right now." Sab tried to get him not to read it but he did.
"Mom just went to the ranch to think. Nothing to worry about," Derek said, reading the rest of the letter.
"What does it say?" Frank was curious.
"Mom's usual," Derek said as he read it out loud:
My Dearest Derek,
I have to go home for a while. Please look after Sarah for me and your Dad, too. He could use some watching. I need some time alone to put some memories to rest. I need to clear my mind and get away from what has been happening around there.
Remember to work with White Sand, so Sarah can ride him soon. Give her a hug and kiss every night and morning for me. I'll call in a few days, don't worry about me. I love you all. Take care of your self and Becky too. Love, Mom
"That sounds totally different from our letters," Maria said as she and Sab read their letters again.
Frank picked up the phone and dialed the ranch again. "I hope Hank answers this time, I need to know what the hell is going on." This time the answering machine came on. "Elaina, Hank are you there? What's going on?"
"Frank, I'm sorry I disconnected you. Elaina is fine now," Hank said as he picked up the receiver.
"What do you mean 'now'?" Frank asked, worried.
"I think you should get here and let her explain everything. She really needs you Friend."
"Why did I hear a gunshot?" Frank said as Derek looked at him in surprise.
"Well, I guess I should tell you that. Seems that Missy was doing some target practice in the house. She's been drinking a bit too heavy. I have her taking a shower to sober up some."
"She didn't hurt herself then?" Frank asked, still worried.
"Nah. She'll be ok after the hangover is gone. Hang on a minute," Hank told him as Elaina came out. "Here, he's worried about you. Talk to him."
"He's angry with me," Elaina said, sitting on the bed.
"He's worried now; the anger was last night. Now talk." Hank handed her the phone.
"Hello," Elaina said, quietly.
"Lady, don't you ever scare us like that again. I'm so glad you're safe."
"I left all of you notes. I wrote all of you to tell you what I was doing. Why were you so worried?" Elaina asked a bit confused.
"Derek's letter was more coherent than the others, they sounded like…never mind." Frank didn't want to say it.
"I started with his. I saved yours for last because I didn't know what to say. I was drinking when I wrote them. I guess I messed up again. I don't even remember sending them." Elaina rambled and her speech still showed signs of her being drunk.
"We'll be there as soon as we can. We'll talk about what happened and straighten all this out. I love you very much, Lady."
"Love you too. I have to go throw up now. Here Hank." Elaina gave him the phone as she ran to the bathroom.
"Frank?"
"Yeah, I'm here. I see the hang over is starting," Frank chuckled.
"Yep. When can I expect you?"
"Couple of hours should do it. See you then."
********
Frank and the family arrived at the ranch in the afternoon. He went directly into the house before the others got out of the SUV. "Elaina!" Frank yelled for her.
"I'm right here, Love," Elaina said, coming from the kitchen.
Frank grabbed her and kissed her. "You scared the hell out of us. We thought something had happened to you."
"Momma!" Sarah came running in with Becky and Derek.
"Oh, my little one. I didn't know you were coming." Elaina picked her up and held her close to her.
"Dad let the whole gang come." Derek hugged her.
"The whole gang?" Elaina asked.
"Maria and Sab are here too. They stayed outside with Hank," Frank told her. "They wouldn't take no for an answer."
"I'm surprised you're talking to Sab; or me for that matter."
"I should never have said those things to you last night," Frank said holding her again. "I shouldn't have left you either, especially, if I had known it would affect you this way."
"You were right. I did find out how you felt those times. It was the worse feeling I could've experienced."
"From now on, we don't walk away from an argument we finish it. No matter how long it takes," Frank told her.
"I agree. I don't like that feeling at all. I don't want you to feel it again either."
"Andy sent you something," Frank handed her torn up paper.
"This would be my resignation wouldn't it?" Elaina asked. "I guess I have to go back to work then."
"Not for a few weeks. Andy told me to take the vacation time we asked for but never took," Frank told her.
"We were waiting for Sab and Cody's wedding to take it. But I think I need it more now," Elaina said, kissing Sarah.
"They understand they're taking some of their time off too. Cody thinks they need to be together alone for a few days."
"So why is she here and not with him?" Elaina wondered.
"She wanted to see for herself that you're ok."
"I better go see her and Maria. I bet Hank is having to keep them apart."
"I don't think so, they had a long talk on the way here. I think things are changing between them," Frank said.
"Really?" Elaina was surprised. "I thought it would take a few months at the least."
"Come on see for yourself." Frank took her by the hand. Elaina put Sarah down then they walked out to the porch. She saw Hank sitting between the two ladies, as they were talking.
"Lainie!" Maria reached her first and hugged her tight. "We were so worried about you. How could you do that to us?"
"I'm sorry. I didn't know I did anything. I guess I drank more than I should have," Elaina apologized as Sab came over to her.
"No more booze for you. We're going to make sure of it," Sab told her.
"Really I'm not a drunk, I just got depressed and …" Elaina stopped for a minute. "I'll be careful. I promise I'll not drink in excess ever again."
"You're not going to drink at all," Maria told her.
"You both are agreeing? I guess it's true that you're getting along with one another."
"It's all your fault, if you hadn't pulled this stunt, we'd probably still not be talking to each other," Sab told her.
"See what you did," Frank teased.
"Damn! If I knew that was all it took, I could've done it a long time ago," Elaina joked but no one thought it funny.
"Don't even say that. We didn't want you to do it this time or ever again," Sab told her.
"So when are you two going back to Chicago?" Elaina asked.
"In a day or two. Trying to get rid of us so soon?" Maria asked.
"I just know you have work to do and Sab needs to get back to Cody."
"We're going back with Becky and Derek. They'll be staying with me, while you and Frank are here," Maria said.
"If
you want I can take care of Sarah," Sab told her.
"I want her here with us, Sabrina. I'd like for Derek and Becky to stay too but I know they have a job and a tyrant for a boss," Elaina said, teasing Maria.
"I told them they could have the time off but they want to give you two time together."
"Ok. They can do what they want. I'm glad that everything is going ok. Wait! What about Jake and Alex?" Elaina said.
"Sonny and Alex caught the person it was Keisha, Quito Real's girlfriend. "She confessed to planting the bomb to Sonny and the shooting," Maria explained.
"That's great news. I think I want to go in and spend some time with the kids. There's something I need to tell Frank in private."
"Tell me first, then spend time with the kids," Frank suggested.
"I guess I can do it that way. We can go to the safe room for privacy."
"In other words you don't want the kids to hear," Frank said to her.
"Or some adults." She winked at Maria and Sab.
"Don't let us stop you," Maria told her. "I'm going to call Reese, go see him if he'll be home."
"Hank is going to show me the new horses," Sab said, walking back over to Hank.
"Come on Love, let me get this over with." Elaina really didn't want to tell him but she had too.
******
They went in and locked the door. Elaina sat down on the couch. Frank had a puzzled look on his face as he walked over to her. "So tell me what it is, that you thought could wait."
"Do me a favor first," Elaina said.
"What is that?" Frank put his arms around her.
"Kiss me and hold me close."
He did as she asked. "You're shaking. What is it that you need to tell me? Just say it please."
"Hank lied to you this morning." Elaina looked into his dark brown eyes. "When he walked in, I did have the gun pointed at me. He turned the phone off, in case I pulled the trigger before he could talk me into putting it down. He knew you'd try to call back so he took the phone off the hook."
"Lady, why would you try something like that? You don't believe in suicide."
"It was the depression and the booze. I didn't really know what I was doing. I'm sorry. I'm just glad he came in when he did." Elaina started to cry; Frank held her and let her get it out.
"If I hadn't called him… I don't want to think about it. First thing in the morning, I want you to go see our doctor here. I think you need to go on the anti-depressant medication, that Daniel suggested once before."
"I don't like taking meds. I'll keep my sessions with Allison. I'll be ok," Elaina told him but saw that Frank wasn't taking that as an answer. "Please Frank, if I go on that medication I may not be able to work assignments. I love getting out of the office working with the team. They could even make me retire."
"Lady. You already resigned. Now you're afraid of forced retirement?" Frank chuckled.
"Andy refused the resignation. If I go on the meds he'll have to retire me or I'll be miserable behind my desk until I do retire," Elaina figured.
"You don't know that for sure. We'll talk to Andy, but I want you to go on the medication while we're here. If you feel better on it then you keep taking it. If there's no change, then you can come off them."
"That's not much of a deal." Elaina got up to pace.
"It's the only deal I'm making with you. Lady, you just told me you pointed a gun at yourself. I have noticed, you having bouts of depression. You think you've been hiding them from me but you can't. Not from me," Frank told her, walking in front of her to stop her pacing.
"You're right. I've been trying to hide it from you and everyone else. The past few weeks have been really rough with what happened with Sab, my past haunting me, the fire. All of that just took a lot out of me emotionally. Then when we argued last night. I just couldn't take the sound of that door slamming and you being gone from my mind." Elaina looked at Frank's face. She could see how guilty he was feeling. "Don't blame yourself, Love. What you did, saved me in the long run."
"You found a reason for this all happening?" Frank asked.
"Yes. If you hadn't had the argument with me, we wouldn't have known how deep my depression was, Maria and Sab wouldn't be talking yet, and the best thing, is we have a few weeks to be together without work interfering with us." Elaina hugged and kissed him, passionately.
"I really like that last reason, too. Especially, if we do more kissing, holding and everything it leads to," Frank said, flashing a big smile to her.
"How about we let the kissing and holding we're doing now lead to something?" Elaina's smile was devilish.
"We can do that. If you say you'll see the doctor tomorrow," Frank said, while kissing her neck.
"Bribing me? That isn't very gentlemanly."
"Whatever works to get you better," Frank said, pulling away from her.
"Ok. I'll do it. Now get back in my arms where you belong." Elaina opened her arms wide inviting him to hold her.
"Like this, Lady?" Frank asked, wrapping his arms around her waist and lifting her feet off the floor.
"Very much like that." Elaina kissed him as he moved to the couch and laid her down on it.
"I'm so much in love with you at this moment, it hurts."
"That's our souls touching again. I feel it too," Elaina said, looking into his eyes as they start making love to each other.
Authors Note: You know what happened to Elaina but not the why. In the next fic you'll find out what caused her to do what she did. I was depressed when I wrote this so my main character got to feel what I was feeling. Don't worry I'm much better now! Thanks for reading!!! MaryAnn
Cindy, could you email me. I'd like to tell you something about future fics. jvillelady@hotmail.com